1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to stretched surface recording (SSR) disks and, more particularly, magnetic transducer heads for use in conjunction with such SSR disks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Data recording configurations have been proposed in which a recording head is "flown" relative to a magnetic recording medium by moving the recording head rapidly relative to the recording medium and allowing an air bearing to support the head above the surface of the recording medium. Typical spacings between the recording head and the medium are on the order of a few tenths of a micrometer and must be maintained to prevent damage to either the recording head or the recording medium. At the same time, the flying height of the head relative to the medium must be closely controlled to maintain recording quality and the flying height cannot fluctuate or modulation of the signal imparted from the recording head to the recording medium will occur.
The present invention consists basically of a recording head having a spherical surface in proximity to the recording medium and a series of grooves in the spherical surface which are aligned with the direction of relative movement between the recording head and the recording medium. This recording head is suspended above and biased toward a stretched flexible sheet of recording film by a support arm which maintains the head grooves in alignment with the direction of relative movement between the head and the film, but which allows the recording head limited movement to compensate for irregularities in the film surface, variable tension in the recording film, foreign particles between the head and the film and disturbances caused by bumping or vibration.
A head similar to that utilized in the present invention has been disclosed in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletins volume 19, No. 11, April 1977; volume 20, No. 1, June 1977 and volume 20, No. 8, January 1978. These heads, however, are designed for use in a so-called "Bernoulli flight deck" wherein the head is rigidly mounted and a flexible film disk is rotated in proximity to the head. Thus the problems encountered in attempting to suspend such a head above a rotating film need not have been and were not considered.
A support arm similar to that used in the present invention has been employed for a number of years in conjunction with the flying of recording heads relative to rigid recording disks. In this context, the problems of head design to allow flying relative to a flexible film need not have been and were not considered.